Bruce Golding, prime minister of Jamaica. - Colin Hamilton/Freelance Photographer

Prime Minister Bruce Golding has signalled plans to bring casino legislation to the House for debate within a matter of weeks.

"Just two days ago (November 5), I signed off with the technical team that we had working on the policy issues that had to be resolved in order to facilitate the introduction of legislation for casino gaming," Golding said Friday.

"My instructions to them are that they must get the bills actually completed so that we can get that legislation into Parliament before the end of November."

Jamaica has already issued two licences - one to the Tavistock Group that is developing the US$5-billion (J$380-billion) ultra-luxury Harmony Cove resort in Trelawny and the other to Celebration Jamaica Limited, which is to construct a US$1.8-billion (J$135-billion) 2,080-room resort in neighbouring Rose Hall, St James - to build casinos.

Golding's update on the casino laws was made at the signing of the contract with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines Limited, the Port Authority of Jamaica's partner in the development of a cruise ship port in Falmouth, Trelawny.

The port is expected to be completed before May 2010 when the world's largest cruise megaliner, the Oasis of the Seas, owned by Royal Caribbean, is expected to call.

The prime minister noted that the cruise industry was an important component to Jamaica's tourism industry and that casino gaming would serve to complement the menu of attractions that are available to tourists who come on cruise ships.

Menu of options

"We have so far signed under-takings to provide two licences - one on the west of Falmouth and one on the east of Falmouth - and, therefore, when your cruise ship passengers alight they will have a menu of options in addition to all the other attractions that we are going to build," the prime minister said, speaking directly to Adam Goldstein, the president and CEO of Royal Caribbean, who was in Jamaica specifically for the signing of the port contract.

john.myers@gleanerjm.com